tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Oct 20 08:17:54 2003

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RE: {-be'} and {be'}

Lawrence Schoen ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol ghojwI']

> I am in communication with a woman who believes that Klingon is,
> by nature, sexist. I've managed to shoot down most of her
> arguments, but she still has one crutch: That the suffix of
> negation ({-be'}) and the noun for "female" ({be'}) are
> identical. She believes that this indicates that Okrand is
> secretly a misogynist, and that's why he chose those syllables.
> Before breaking off communications with her, I would like to put
> this to rest. Has anyone ever asked Okrand this question, and if
> so, does anyone know what his answer was?


DloraH has already responded to this with several valid points. Let me add one more that your 'friend' might find a bit more persuasive.

The association she's making is the wrong one. Not that women are negative, but rather that women have the power of negation. Or more simply, they're the ones who get to say "no."

Far from being misogynistic, with this interpretation one could argue that Okrand has gone out of his way to empower women and explicit recognize their power.

Spin. Just one of the many possibilities created by language. :)

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